Tatsat Chronicle Magazine

Fire Erupts Across United Kingdom As It Records Its Hottest Day Ever

July 20, 2022
London heatwave
Photo Credit- Twitter/@oliverk22

Britain broke the record for the hottest temperature, according to the country’s Met Office, with temperatures reaching 40.3 °C (104.5 °F), with the heat expected to increase.

The heatwave brought London’s life to a standstill, with the cancellation of train services, wildfires and hundreds of ambulance calls per hour.

On a typical day, firefighters in London receive 300 to 350 calls for service, but as of Tuesday afternoon, more than 1,600 requests had been made, Mayor Sadiq Khan said.

“We simply can’t cope with the number of fires across our city directly attributable to the heat wave we’re experiencing,” Khan told Sky News.

Britain’s infrastructure is unequipped to handle the tremendous heat as air-conditioning is uncommon outside of offices and public centers, and many homes were built in the 19th century with thick brick walls that absorbed heat during the day and retain it at night.

Firefighters were also battling fires outside the capital, including a large grass fire in Dartford, Kent, about 20 miles southeast of London.

On Tuesday afternoon, Kent Fire and Rescue Service said 18 fire engines were at the site of the blaze, near Durrell Den in Joyce Green, with thick smoke and flames visible on the side of a busy road.

The fire broke out in the UK with an unprecedented temperature of 104.5 degrees Fahrenheit in Conningsby.

London Heathrow Airport also recorded a record temperature of 104.4 degrees Fahrenheit on Tuesday, the Met Office said.

The Met Office said at least 34 observation sites across England had provisionally broken the previous all-time maximum U.K. record of 101.6 F, which was set in Cambridge Botanic Garden on July 25, 2019, as of late Tuesday afternoon.